Heartbeat
by Jess Marylin
Summary: When Loki told Thor that Jane's life was nothing but a heartbeat, that he'd never be ready... What if the God of Mischief was speaking from experience? Post-Thor: The Dark World. Guest appearances by a few X-Men and possibly the Avengers.
1. Prologue

_**Marvel characters don't belong to little old me. :) Just my OCs.**_

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_Sixteen years ago..._

Loki leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching quietly as Gabrielle cooked. The young woman had her back to him and he knew without a doubt that she did not know that he was there. She had a habit of shutting the world out when she worked and one of his favorite pasttimes had always been trying different techniques of gaining her attention. A game which he'd just begun to play...

Loki raised his hand slightly and one of the measuring cups Gabrielle had just pulled out disappeared in twinkling green light when she turned to check her cookbook. A smile quirked the corner of his lips as she reached for the recently vanished utensil only to look up and swear under her breath to find it gone.

Still fighting back a smile, Loki waved his hand and the cup reappeared just as Gabrielle bent down to retrieve another from one of the drawers. The woman straightened, then stiffened, head whipping comically back and forth in the direction of the cup on the counter and the one in her hand. The swears coming from her were more audible now, this time accompanied with the sound of his name.

"Guilty as charged, dearest," Loki spoke with a chuckle.

Gabrielle whipped around, her blue eyes wide as she laid one hand over her heart and the other on the bulge of her stomach, "Don't _do_ that, Loki! You about scared me half to death!"

Smile now repentant, he strode forward and gathered her into his arms, holding her as tightly as he dared. It had taken him a full month to finally manage to sneak away from Asgard to see her. Much too long in his opinion.

She melted into him and he pressed a kiss into her hair, "Sorry love, but you really make it too easy sometimes." That comment earned him a sharp smack to his chest, as he'd known it would. He smirked, "Still can't keep your hands off me, I see."

Gabrielle leaned back just enough so that he could see her roll her eyes at him, "Always running your mouth, Odinson. How about, for a change, you just shut up and kiss me already."

He laughed, "Gladly." With a teasing smirk still on his face, he picked up her left hand, which was resting on his shoulder, and placed a kiss to the gold wedding band he himself had placed there almost a year ago. She huffed in impatience and grabbed his face with both of her hands, pulling him down to her level. He started to laugh again only to be silenced when her lips met his.

He deepened the kiss and could have sworn that he was drowning when he felt a sharp jab at his abdomen. They broke apart and Gabrielle's hand lead his to rest on the top of her belly, just in time to feel the baby give another kick.

"Hello to you too, Little One. You've gotten stronger," Loki murmured softly, his full attention now on the bulge of his young wife's belly, which had grown a bit since last he saw her.

Gabrielle snorted, causing him to look back up at her, "Yes, and she doesn't like her mama to sleep either."

"You still haven't been able to calm her?"

"The only thing that calms her is her daddy's voice. You _know_ that, Loki," she finished softly as he pulled her in for another kiss.

* * *

_One month later..._

Loki's eyes widened in shock when he finally entered the clearing. Gabrielle's two story colonnial that she'd inherited from her grandfather was completely unrecognizable. He'd left a week ago to keep his family in Asgard from getting suspiscious only to return to find his wife's home was almost completely burnt to the ground. Shaking himself out of his shock, he raced to the ruins, searching franctically through the rubble and ash and hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't find a body.

When he reached what was left of their room, he could clearly see the signs of a struggle marking the one wall that remained standing. A large blood splutter, the sight of which nearly caused his heart to stop. But he couldn't lose hope yet. It was still quite possible that she and the baby had been rescued.

He surveyed his surroundings, looking for signs. Yes, several other people had already combed through the wreckage before he'd arrived. The footprints were no longer well defined, so it had to have been some days ago. Possibly only a few days after he'd left. He clenched his fists, he was going to tear apart whoever had done this...

As he left the wreckage, determined to check for his pregnant wife in every hospital and clinic in Gabrielle's small hometown, something else caught his eye. He turned, facing the old family cemetary which was adjacent to the back of the house. What he saw there literally caused his heart to stop.

There were two brand new gravestones.

As if in a daze, he walked through the gate and fell to his knees in front of them.

The first, and largest of the two confirmed his worst fear.

GABRIELLE SHALOM DARKHOLME

B. January 18th, 1978 D. March 1st, 1998

'_Beloved Friend and Mother'_

March 1st. Five days after he'd left her completely alone, defenseless. Fighting the tears in his eyes, his gaze drifted to the smaller headstone. What was engraved there took the breath out of him.

BRYNN FRIGGA DARKHOLME

B. February 26th, 1998 D. March 1st, 1998

'_Beloved Angel_'

The baby. Their baby. Gabrielle had given birth only the day after he'd left. If only he'd hadn't been so worried about his father's ridicule of his marriage. If only he had taken his beloved to Asgard.

Only now was it too late. Never again would he get to kiss Gabrielle. And he would never, _ever_, hold his baby daughter in his arms.

He sat in front of the graves all that night, silently letting the tears fall...

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_I know I've got a few other stories that need attention, but this idea has been nagging me for a while now. Let me know what you think!_


	2. Anniversary

**Marvel characters don't belong to me. :) Just my OCs.**

**Big thanks to Delta808th for beta reading this!**

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_Asgard_

_Present Day..._

Loki, having shed the guise of Odin if only for a moment, watched his brother's red-caped silhouette disappear with a smirk. A smirk that quickly faded.

The God of Mischief now had exactly what he'd thought he'd wanted, but satisfaction eluded him. Oh well, as he'd told Thor, satisfaction really wasn't in his nature anyway. And besides, he'd claimed Odin's throne not out of selfishness, but out of need.

Odin, upon hearing of the supposed death of his youngest 'son', had once again fallen into the Odinsleep out of pure shock. That had been unexpected as Loki, then under the guise of one of the Einherjar, had fully expected the All-Father to seem relieved to finally be rid of him. Loki had been unnerved by the fact that the All-Father seemed to still care about him. So unnerved that, instead of killing Odin as his original plan had been, he'd simply disguised him and placed him under the care of the healers. But not before making sure that the old king would not wake up until Loki was good and ready for him to wake.

Not only did Asgard need a more level-headed king at the moment, but Odin's throne was the perfect place for Loki to hide. He hadn't forgotten the Other's promise. As long as Loki was believed to be dead, he was safe from the Chitauri. That had been one of the reasons why Loki had tried to sacrifice himself to save his brother. He'd fully expected to die there on that dark world. Welcomed it, even. That death would have been far less painful than whatever the Other and his minions had planned for him. And, at the time, Loki had also been under the impression that Thor was the only one left who cared for him. With his mother Frigga's death, Loki had had nothing else to live for. Thor had Jane, if only for a heartbeat.

Which brought Loki back to the reason behind his dissatisfaction. He'd, underhandedly of course, given Thor the All-Father's blessing to be with the woman he loved. A blessing that would have no doubt been withheld from himself and Gabrielle.

Gabrielle. Even after all these years, he still mourned her. Losing her and little Brynn had been a turning point for him. He'd changed much from the day that he'd found their headstones. Little by little he'd become less and less able to bear his then immature older brother's taunts and Odin's favoritism. Odin finally admitting Loki's true heritage had been his breaking point.

If Gabrielle had still been alive, she would have no doubt kept him sane. She wasn't there though, mainly thanks to the All-Father's prejudice. Odin had long spouted that mortals were inferior to them, so why should he have seemed so disappointed that his 'son' had finally chosen to believe it for himself? Gabrielle was more than Loki's match, however the rest of her race would never have been worth his time.

But all of that was beside the point. Loki had given Thor the blessing because he wanted his brother to be happy. It was the least he could do, especially after his brother had placed so much faith in him. That, and he did not wish his brother to suffer through the loss that he'd had. They'd already lost their mother and Thor already believed him gone as well. The last thing the big oaf needed was to be cruelly separated from his love just as Loki himself had been...

* * *

_Midgard_

_Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters_

Jenny cursed under her breath as a bullet narrowly missed her ear. She'd always managed to avoid injury at the last minute thanks to her almost inhuman agility, but the near misses always scared her. The Professor had told her once that it was a good thing. The right kind of fear motivated you to keep yourself alive, to protect those who needed your protection. A person who didn't feel fear wasn't brave, just incredibly stupid.

However, that didn't make her feel any better about having to face the Danger Room on a weekly basis.

"You alright, LeBeau?" came Colossus' voice over the loudspeaker. Piotr Rasputin, or Pete, as most everyone called him, was monitoring her from the control room.

In answer to his question, Jenny flipped herself forward to avoid yet another shot, landing close enough to the gunman to grab hold of his arm and easily twist it behind his back, "Yeah, just peachy. Ya think Storm will let me up the level up now? These muggers quit being a challenge a long time ago," she finished, still holding the thug's arm as she spun around to the front of the solid hologram and smashed her elbow into his face. The holographic mugger dissipated in blocks of light before it could hit the floor and two more appeared on other side of her.

"You know she won't, Jen."

"It can't be because I'm incapable of defending myself. I mean-" she broke off as both holograms lunged at her. She delivered a roundhouse kick to one's gut, before moving, with the grace of a snake, into the other's personal space to head-butt him.

"Yeah, but you're still a minor-"

"You and I both know that's not it."

"And we both know that Gambit will kill her for putting his 'little cher' at risk."

"Are you looking for a butt-whooping, Pete?"

His laughter boomed over the loudspeaker and Jenny seriously considered flipping him off. But she'd never done that before and never planned on being that rude. Her goal in life was to be the kind of person both of her birth parents had been, no matter how much _certain_ people irritated her.

Granted, all she knew about her parents was only what Remy could recall of them. Her foster father had been close friends with her mother, he knew everything she could ever want to know about the woman. It was her father that Remy knew very little about, which meant that she only had her mother's letters to rely on. And it was very clear that her mother had been smitten by her father. Only thing was, how much of her mother's letters were the truth? Was her mother simply blinded by love, or was her father really all that the letters made him out to be?

Jenny certainly hoped the last bit was the real truth.

She cried out more in surprise than out of pain as a bullet hit it's mark. The projectile did very little damage at Jenny's current Danger Room level, but it still hit hard enough that she knew her thigh would be black and blue later. She cursed under her breath again, this time at her inability to keep her focus.

"Maybe you should call it quits for now, Jen."

"No thanks, Pete. If I do, Storm will never let me level up."

The Danger Room shut down and Jenny shot a scathing glare at the control room. The window was a one-way, so she couldn't see Pete but he could definitely see her. If her glare fazed him, his voice showed no sign, "Sorry, but you know you can never keep your focus today. You _do_ know what today is, right?"

Oh yes, she knew. The anniversary of her mother's death and her father's disappearance. She'd been foolishly hoping that Pete would forget about it. Or at least decide not to mention it.

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_Please Review!_

_Oh! And Jenny's picture is on my profile. :)_


	3. Memory

_Marvel characters don't belong to me. Sadly, that means Loki too... Just my OCs are mine._

_Just a hint. In this timeline, X-Men 3 happened a year before Iron Man 3, Thor 2, and Captain America 2. Just to clear this up, it's been a year since the Phoenix and almost year since the Avengers. The events of the Wolverine are currently happening in Japan._

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Pete was waiting for Jenny as she walked out of the Danger Room, towel in hand as if offering her a peace offering. Her brown eyes turned yellow as she glared at him, but she took the towel anyway.

"Don't give me that look, Jen. I know how you get today and I don't want to see you hurting yourself like you did last year."

Jenny glared again before burying her face into the clean towel, wiping the sweat from her face. She knew he meant well but she'd never taken sympathy well, especially on days like this. She was worse on the anniversaries of the Professor, Jean, and Scott's deaths only because she'd known all three well. Professor Xavier had been the only person she could trust with her deepest thoughts, and Jean and Scott had both been two of her favorite teachers here at the school. So it made sense that their absence pained her more than that of her biological parents, as she'd never really known them. She'd been just a baby when she'd lost them and the only memories she had were a vague image of her mother's smiling face and the sound of her father's silver tone.

"Jen!" Pete nearly snapped, a clear indication that he'd already said her name a few times.

She shook her head, trying to clear it, "Huh?"

"You zoned out. Again. I _said_ that you might want to go shower, since we're leaving pretty soon."

"Leaving? What do you mean 'leaving', Colossus?"

Pete sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I _knew_ you'd forget," he mumbled under his breath, knowing full well that her very acute hearing caught that. "The science field trip. To Stark Tower. The one that Storm asked us to help chaperone the midgets for. The one she told us about a _month_ ago?"

"Oh yeah," she answered half-heartedly.

"Okay, now I _know_ you're not okay. Normally, you'd tease me about how everyone's a midget to me. And I thought you liked Ironman?"

"That's Kitty, Pete. I've told you about a hundred times that Thor's my favorite," she sassed as she gave the hand towel back to him.

"Whatever. Go get cleaned up before Storm loses her patience with the both of us." He threw the towel at her departing back, "Oh, and Storm's wanting us to wear our suits under our clothes. Don't forget that too!"

She whirled around, picking the towel up from the floor as she leveled yet another yellow glare at him, "You know, I really hate you sometimes."

He chuckled, "Feeling's mutual."

It was times like this that Jenny realized just how much she really couldn't stand him.

* * *

Jenny looked through the bus window as they drove through New York City. She'd promptly fallen asleep as soon as she'd found her seat and had napped the entire fifty-something minutes that it normally took to drive from the Institute to the city limits. Only to wake up to excited shrieks from the littler kids who'd never seen a big city before.

She smiled softly to herself at their craziness and turned her head to watch the buildings of Manhattan pass by. It had been nearly a year since she'd last seen the city and there was now almost no hint of the alien invasion left behind. There were still a few piles of rubble here and there, the remains of buildings that hadn't been completely cleared away.

She still had nightmares from that day.

Storm had asked her to visit the Morlocks in the city's sewers, see how they were doing and find out if they needed any supplies. Jenny had been underground with the Morlocks and had been having the feeling that something was wrong all that day.

Her fears were proved right when some weird-looking grey creatures attacked them from the shadows.

That was the first time she'd ever killed someone.

Jenny shook her head, trying to drive the thoughts out of her head as Stark Tower came into view. The only evidence left on it from the invasion was the fact that Stark hadn't bothered to replace the rest of the letters of his name.

"Mock?"

She pulled her gaze from the window and to the first grader beside her. Anya, a new student who'd recently taken a shine to her, was looking at her with hopeful ice blue eyes. "Yeah, Anya?"

"D'you think we'll see the Avengers today?"

"I don't know, _cher_. If we do see any, it'll probably just be Tony Stark."

Anya's eyes got really wide, "Really?"

"Maybe, if he's not too busy."

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_Please review and tell me what you think!_


	4. Needed

**Sadly, Marvel characters don't belong to me. Just my OCs.**

**Big thanks to Delta808th for beta reading. And thanks to Vidgealz C Valvatore, Janizary, and Harryfan011 for reviewing!**

* * *

_Midgard..._

Unfortunately for the kids, who'd really been looking forward to seeing the one and only Ironman, Stark had not been seen during their entire visit to SI. And, in a way, Jenny was a little relieved. Sure she would have liked to meet the billionaire but she was very glad that she and Pete didn't have to worry about trying to keep the kids from mobbing the man.

And so, in the words of Anya the first grader, this was 'officially just another boring field trip'. Not even having J.A.R.V.I.S., a real live A.I., as their tour guide could lift the spirits of the group.

Jenny, who actually was interested in what the A.I. had to tell them about all the projects currently underway, could barely focus because some of the children were getting restless.

And that's when the tin man himself finally made an appearance. Thank goodness the kids had actually listened to Storm's warning lecture on the bus ride over and didn't mob him.

Stark seemed preoccupied, like he couldn't wait for them to leave. Jen didn't expect any less, she herself would never have been able to deal with the amount of fans that the billionaire dealt with on a daily basis.

Storm finally managed to quiet the midgets and had actually got an orderly Q & A session going when little Anya timidly raised her hand.

Stark pointed at her, "You, carrot-top." Anya pointed to herself in disbelief and the man rolled his eyes, "Yeah, you with the Hulk shirt. I'm a little affronted that you chose the giant green rage monster over the Armored Avenger, the coolest one in my humble opinion, but I can't really fault you there. I'll be the first to admit he's a little cool. Just a little."

Anya seemed hesitant now and Jenny stepped closer in encouragement. Stark automatically looked up at her and froze, brow wrinkling. His expression clearly said that he thought he'd seen her before and was trying to place just where. Jenny raised her left brow at him in question, and he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a booming voice.

"Friend Stark! I was wondering where you had disappeared to! Lady Pepper is requesting your presence in what I believe you call the 'penthouse'."

It was Jenny's turn to freeze when she spotted who had spoken. The big blonde man was wearing regular clothes instead of armor and there was no sign of a hammer, but there was no doubt in her mind that this man was Thor. And, judging from the excited squeals of 'Thor!' from some of the children and Anya bouncing up and down beside her, the midgets had figured that out as well.

Thor gave the kids an indulgent smile, which gave Jenny the impression that he was well used to having children underfoot. "Forgive me for my intrusion, Stark. I did not realize that you were entertaining guests."

"They're not guests, per se," Stark muttered, obviously more than a little annoyed that Thor was stealing a lot of attention.

Storm stepped forward and shook the Asgardian's hand, in much the same way she had when she had greeted Stark. "Ororo Munroe. I'm the head teacher at The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters and these are some of my students."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Munroe. When you say 'gifted', do you mean-"

"Academically, of course," Jenny spoke up, fully aware that Thor was going to ask if any of them had special abilities. As he was from an entirely different world, it would be normal for him to assume that. But here on Earth, people with powers were often shunned. She herself was well acquainted with prejudice and what it felt like to be on the receiving end of it.

Thor met her eyes and also froze, "I'm sorry, miss. But have we met before?"

Jenny inwardly panicked but forced herself to remain calm, "Well, I was in New York when... well, maybe you saw me run for cover?" A blatant lie as she was in the sewers at that time, but she really didn't want the special attention of two Avengers. Given who she was related to.

* * *

_Asgard..._

Loki locked himself away in his new chambers and finally let the illusion fall. It had only been a few days since the All-Father had fallen into the Odinsleep and Loki already found himself growing weary of masquerading as his not-father. He'd gotten exactly what he wished and it brought him no comfort. _None at all_, he thought as his eyes drifted to the place between the little pool and the balcony. The place where, rumor had it, his beloved mother had breathed her last.

Only the day after he'd claimed that she was not his mother.

On top of that, today was the day that his beloved Gabrielle and little Brynn had breathed their last. Loki slid to the floor and pulled at his hair with both hands, forcing himself to not lash out with his powers.

These chambers belonged the King and Queen and Frigga herself had had a hand in the decorating. The last thing he wanted was to destroy more of his mother's things like he had in his cell when he'd heard the news of her death.

His mother, his wife, his child... Even Thor, although it wasn't to death. They were gone and he was all alone. His mother's possessions were all he had left of the ones he'd loved. But it was nothing.

Loki had all the power he could ever ask for and was free from the fear of the Other's promise. He had all that he'd wanted, but it wasn't what he _needed_.

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Please R&R.


	5. Letter

_Marvel does not belong to me, just my OCs._

_Just wanted to let ya'll know that, for right now, most of the chapters will be from Jenny's point of view until we get further into the story._

_Big thanks to the amazing Delta808th for beta reading!_

_And thanks to the awesome kaylinthehuman, Vidgealz C Valvatore, and Janizary for reviewing!_

* * *

Jenny looked over to the alarm clock perched on her bedside table and grimaced when she saw the time. It was well past midnight and that meant she'd been tossing and turning for several hours. She'd been on high alert since meeting the two Avengers earlier and if Storm hadn't managed to distract them with a couple of questions of her own...

Jenny reached over and yanked the chain on her lamp, flooding her room with light. There was no way she was getting any sleep tonight so she might as well quit trying. She sat up and pulled open the top drawer of her nightstand, removing her mother's Bible before flipping open the secret compartment at the bottom of the drawer. Inside were the letters her mother had written to her before she was born.

Feeling a pricking sensation in the corners of her eyes, Jenny reverently lifted the old papers from the drawer, marveling as she always did at how they still looked as if they'd been written just yesterday even though they were all over sixteen years old.

She flipped through them trying to find a specific one and laid the others gently back into the hiding spot when she finally found it. It had been the first one her mother had written and had been penned shortly after she'd learned that she was pregnant with Jenny. The first part was mainly her mother writing about how excited and happy she was to be pregnant and all the things she was looking forward to sharing with her baby. And how much her mother had been looking forward to sharing the news with her father.

The other one and a half pages had been dedicated to telling her son or daughter all about his or her father. It was these paragraphs that Jenny needed to read. Even though she'd read these letters many times and almost knew them by heart, she continued to read as her mother's words told her all about her father. Who he was, where he was from. Jenny could practically feel the love her mother had for her father as the letter spoke to her of how great a man her father had been, how loving and gentle. How he'd been her mother's foundation...

But none of it was adding up to everything else she'd been hearing about him. Having finished, Jenny clutched the letter to her chest as she squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to keep tears of frustration at bay.

A knock sounded at her door and Jenny burst into a flurry of activity, sliding her nightstand drawer shut and shoving the letter she'd just read under her pillow. By the time she'd walked to her door she was shaking her head at herself. Her emotional state had kept her from realizing that there was only one person who'd be at her door at _this_ time of night.

She opened her door was instantly greeted with a worried frown. "You okay, Jen?" Pete asked, the worry also lacing his tone.

She shrugged as she let him in, plopping back on her bed and pulling the letter out from under her pillow. He'd already seen all of her mother's letters, so it didn't bother her that he'd found her reading them for the millionth time.

He settled on the bed beside her, his heavy frame causing the mattress to dip, "That was pretty close today."

"No kidding," Jenny replied absentmindedly, once again scanning over her mother's handwriting.

"Jennifer LeBeau." She looked up at Pete, once again glaring with yellow eyes. He sighed, "Don't tell me that what happened earlier didn't bother you. He's your Uncle after all."

"And he didn't recognize me at all, Pete."

"He's never seen you before."

"But-"

"And your father wasn't on very good terms with him anyway."

She slid off the bed and turned to meet his gaze. For a moment she was silent, even as she trembled with suppressed emotion.

"Jen-"

And she practically exploded, "That's the problem, Pete! Their fight happened 3 _years_ ago! If my dad really loved me like mom wrote in these stupid letters," she paused and waved the papers in his face, "then don't you think that he would have at least told his _family_ about me?"

"Jen, calm down."

"I _am_ calm!"

"No you're not. You're crying again."

"No I'm not," she mumbled stubbornly, reaching up to wipe the traitor tears away with her free hand.

He reached up and gently cupped her tiny elbows in his big hands, "Jenny, we don't even know if your dad knows that you're alive. Gambit put that headstone there to throw your mother's murderer off your scent."

"Yes, but according to mom," she shook the letter gently, "my father's much too clever for that."

Pete paused, frowning as he thought his next words through carefully. They both knew that he had to be careful when she got like or she'd disappear into the grounds for days until someone managed to coax her out of hiding. And usually, as the strongest telepath they had known, the Professor had been the only one who'd been able to do it so far. Now that he was gone Pete was walking on eggshells and Jenny could see the frustration in his eyes.

"Hey may be clever, but I think he's more like you than you think," he said softly, as if whispering would keep her from bolting.

Jenny's brow furrowed, yellow eyes changing back to brown in her confusion, "What do you mean by that? None of us know a _thing_ about him. Hell, we've never even _met_ him."

"I know, but I am smart enough to know an emotional wreck when I see one."

Jenny's eyes shifted back to yellow and her temperature dropped, a clear warning that he was on _very_ thin ice. "What do you mean by that, _Wreckingball_?" Her tone deadly cold as she pulled out of his reach.

"Exactly what I meant. I'm willing to bet that your dad was so upset when he saw the graves that he believed what he saw. Gambit did say he did his best to make it convincing. And since no one can see through your guardian's poker face, I'm thinking it was enough to fool even your father.

"_And_, while I may not know much about genealogy or DNA, or whatever... I _am_ smart enough to know that we tend to get some of our personalities from our parents. You didn't learn to get this upset and blow things out of proportion from Gambit or from anyone here."

He stood up and looked down at her, again cupping her elbows gently and without regard to her almost freezing skin, "Which means your dad's probably the same way. Maybe things get to him and maybe, unlike you, he might have felt like he didn't have anyone to turn to and that's why he's changed so much from the man your mother knew."

Jenny took deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. She willed her eyes and skin to return to normal before looking up and giving him a shaky smile, "Are you just saying that because you believe it, or are you just talking crap to get me to calm down?"

He chuckled, but was interrupted by a low tapping on the doorframe.

They both jumped apart and looked wide-eyed at a very sleepy and very clearly irritated Bobby Drake, "I'm sorry to interrupt whatever _this_ is, but _some_ people actually _need_ sleep."

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_Please R&R._


	6. The Proverbial Bad Feeling

_Marvel does not belong to me. Just my OCs._

_Big thanks to Delta808th for reviewing!_

_And thank you to kaylinthehuman, Vidgealz C Valvatore, and Janizary for reviewing!_

_I can't guarantee fast updates like this all the time, I'm still in school. But I'll do the best I can. :)_

_Okay, so Jenny's already 'met' two of the Avengers, but I'm thinking a more drastic type of meeting is in the works. Maybe meeting while she's under her 'Mock' persona? You'll just have to read and find out..._

* * *

"Do you really have to go, Mock?" Anya asked with a pout, little legs dangling off Jenny's bed as she watched the older girl pack. It was nearly a week since Pete had found Jenny reading her mother's letter. Storm had asked Jenny to go check on the Morlocks again and Anya wasn't happy that her 'best friend' was leaving her. The little girl had had gone to great lengths to make her opinion _very _clear.

Jenny chose not to answer this time, knowing full well that the carrot-top (as Stark had called her) would just ask again. And again, and again, and again. Like she'd already been doing _all morning_. Sometimes, if you ignored Anya long enough, the little girl would just get bored and drop the issue. Today was apparently not one of those days.

"Why do _you_ have to go? Why not Storm? Or Pete? Mock, _why_?"

Jenny winced as Anya's tone changed to almost a high-pitched whine at the end. She sighed as she finally looked up from the small stack of clothes she'd just finished folding, "First off, Anya, whining is _very_ rude. Second, I've already told you that the Morlocks aren't skittish around me." She placed a finger over the little girl's mouth before she could intterupt again. "Storm may be on better terms with them than I am, but she's got her hands full with you guys. And Pete's size makes them uneasy.

"That, and it's the only way I can get away from you," Jenny finished with a smirk. If Anya had been a normal little girl, she wouldn't have dared to say something like that for fear of hurting her. But, thanks to her power, Anya was basically a little human lie detector.

Instead of breaking into tears at the lie like a normal girl her age would have, she just smiled sweetly, "I'll miss you too, Mock. If you meet the Avengers again, say hi for me!"

And with that, Anya slid off the bed and skipped off down the hall. Jenny shook her head and chuckled. There was no figuring out a six year old.

"How do you _do_ that?"

Jenny almost knocked over her pile of clothes as she whipped around and crouched into a defensive position. Only to straighten and shoot an annoyed glare at the amused look Pete was giving her as he leaned casually against her doorframe.

She stuck out her tongue before firmly turning her back on him so she could finish packing. Storm had asked her to be at the Morlocks' home in the sewers before nightfall, which meant Jenny had less than thirty minutes left to pack before she had to leave.

"I mean it, Jen. How do you manage to shake the kid off? She _never_ leaves me alone."

"It's called _being firm_. That and I find ignoring most of her questions tends to work too." She looked up from where she now sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her dresser and gave him a devilish look, "Although I doubt that you'll be able to do either one. Even with that metal skin, you're still pretty soft, Pete."

He just rolled his eyes.

* * *

Jenny clenched her teeth and tried to force her shoulders to relax as she drove through New York City on her way to the rendezvous point where Callisto was sure to be waiting for her. She was already late and the traffic was getting worse. If there was one thing Jenny hated, it was big city traffic. She was a Southern girl, born and raised on the Bayou. The only roads she'd ever really known until she'd started at the Professor's school had been dirt roads.

That, and she knew the swamps and woodlands back home like the back of her hand. Here, almost all of the buildings looked the same unless you were near landmarks like Times Square, the Chrysler Building, or Stark Tower. The last one was looming larger and larger in her windshield and that meant that she'd gotten herself completely turned around. Not only was the Morlocks' home nowhere near Stark Tower, is wasn't even _in_ Manhattan.

A taxi cut in front of her and it's brake lights flashed, causing Jenny to stomp on her own brakes. She laid into the horn and rolled her eyes as the taxi driver shook his raised fist at her.

When she looked up again, Stark Tower still looming larger and she noticed a military type helicopter landing on it's roof. That was unusual. From what J.A.R.V.I.S. had told the group on their field trip, the area around the tower was a no fly zone for anyone but Iron Man.

This didn't make sense. Jenny pulled her little dark blue Dodge over into a surprisingly vacant parallel parking spot and watched the helicopter as it circled the tower. It didn't land, but several ropes were thrown from it and a few figures started shimmying down to the roof.

Yep, something definitely wasn't right.

Jenny made her decision when three more helicopters came into view and also started circling the tower. Callisto was just going to have wait.

* * *

Jenny snuck through the air vents, both thankful and concerned that the Tower's security protocols hadn't taken effect yet. Not even J.A.R.V.I.S. was speaking up against her trespassing. Whoever those men and helicopters belonged to meant business, they were out for blood. Stark's blood, given that they'd gone so far as taking out the Tower's defenses. Who had the technology to do that?

She wiped sweat from her brow, grateful that she'd shed the clothes that she'd been wearing over her suit. Her X-Men uniform was fitted to her figure and wasn't as stifling, thankfully. That, and the mask she always kept on her person would keep Stark and J.A.R.V.I.S. from recognizing her as the Xavier student from the week before.

Jenny shook her head, forcing herself to focus. She'd scaled the stairs to the halfway point of the tower in only a few minutes and had taken to the vents when she'd come across heavy security doors that she couldn't break through. The vents got her past those, even though she wouldn't have gotten through them without her inhuman flexibility. There had been a few points along the way where the vents had constricted so much that she'd literally had to wiggle through. She was seriously hoping that she was past those security doors.

She crawled forward until she came to another grate, looking down into a lab. She banged her fist against it a little too hard and it crashed to the floor. Jenny cringed at the noise and waited.

Nothing. She slithered out, dropping to the floor gracefully and landing in a crouch.

That's when the gun started firing. She ducked and took cover behind a metal counter, listening. The footsteps got closer and closer to her hiding place and she held her breath. A gun barrel peeked around the corner of the counter and she grabbed it, twisting it away from her and spinning around to deliver a roundhouse kick to the man which knocked him out cold. She dropped the gun as if it burned her before proceeding to check the rest of the room. Oh how she _hated_ guns.

The sounds of soldiers running down the hall caught her attention, but there was also crashing and whooshing sounds that she couldn't place. She caught the glimmer of something large and metallic headed straight for her. Without even thinking she reached out, grabbed something that felt like a handle, and launched whatever she had caught at the doors just as more of the mercenaries poured into the room.

It bowled the first one over and he fell backward into his companions. As they struggled to rise, she was able to make out exactly what it was that she had just thrown and her breath caught in her throat. It was a hammer. Not just any hammer though. It was large and blocky, covered in runes. Mjolnir. Thor's hammer.

Jenny turned slowly turned around and, sure enough, Thor in all his armored glory was standing behind her. His face was confused as he gazed at her, but he nodded before stretching out his arm and Mjolnir flew into his grasp. Lightening came out of nowhere, arced around her, and struck the mercenaries as they finally managed to stand. Only to knock them down again, this time smoking and lifeless.

Thor strode toward her and Jenny shifted into a defensive crouch. The first throw of the hammer had been aimed at her, after all.

The Asgardian stopped in his tracks, red cape swirling in the breeze that came from the broken window that he had apparently just come through. "You need not fear me. Only the worthy are capable of wielding Mjolnir which proves that you are no foe. I do not know who you are, but, if you are here to help, you will have my sincerest thanks."

Jenny straightened slowly, yellow eyes still watching him carefully, "We don't help people for anyone's _thanks_. We do it because we _can_. Those goons are after Stark, aren't they?"

"It would appear so." Thor looked worried. Really, really worried. "I cannot find him."

* * *

_Who thinks they know who the mercenaries are working for? Anyone?_

_Please R&R._


	7. Enemy Unmasked

_Marvel and their characters don't belong to me. Just my OCs._

_Thanks to Delta808th for beta reading!_

_And thanks to kaylinthehuman, ParanoidSchizo91, BiancaDiAngelo, tywingfieldtbs42 for reviewing!_

_All of ya'll had some interesting ideas about who could be storming Stark Tower. Only one of ya had it right though... The winner will be announced at the end of the chapter, since I don't won't to spoil it. :)_

* * *

"_Agent Sawyer, come in. Agent Sawyer, where are you?_"

The sudden voice caused Jenny to drop into a low defensive crouch, one hand touching the floor and nearly every muscle in her body tensed and readied to spring. Thor's grip on Mjolnir tightened and he pulled his arm back slightly, getting ready to throw.

"_Agent Sawyer, this is Agent Hicks. Where _are_ you?!_" A crackle of static finally drew Jenny's attention to the military-grade radio lying on the floor by the men that Thor had just fried. It must have fallen off one of them before they'd been hit by lightening, given that it still worked.

She looked over at Thor and gulped. She didn't like showing off her abilities in front of strangers, past experience taught her that most never reacted well. But this was _Thor_. Chances were he was well acquainted with _different_.

Jenny straightened and met Thor's questioning gaze, "This is going to sound really _weird_."

"I'm sorry, what are you speaking-"

"Shhh!"

"_Agent Sawyer!"_

Jenny literally dive-bombed at the radio, grasping it firmly. She gave a mental sigh of relief when she recognized the model, _Thank you, Danger Room sessions_, and hit the call button.

"Agent Hicks, this is Agent Sawyer." But it wasn't her voice that she'd answered with. It was Thor's, but with an American accent. She crossed her fingers and prayed that Agent Hicks didn't know Agent Sawyer by his voice.

"_About time, Sawyer. What took you so long?_"

_Oh thank goodness!_

"We ran into one of Stark's employees and she tried to be a hero." Again, she answered with her Americanized Thor voice, making a point of not looking at Thor. The last thing she needed was to see his look of disgust.

"_And you dealt with her, I assume._"

"Emphasis on _she_ _tried_, sir."

"_Good, keep searching for Stark. Rendezvous at the rooftop for pickup in 0100 hours._"

"Yes sir."

There was the fluttering of a cape and Jenny was instinctually aware of that Thor had moved closer, "That was quite impressive. How were you able to accomplish that?"

Jenny looked up, visibly surprised at the compliment and Thor's earnest face. He wasn't making fun of her. He was the first non-mutant that she knew of who hadn't ridiculed her abilities and that literally threw her.

She nervously cleared her throat, "It's uh... One of my gifts." Her hand was shaking, the radio rattling in her grip. She tightened her grip, hoping he hadn't seen that.

His eyes told her that he had. Thor stepped out of her personal space, "Well, thanks to your gift, we now know that they haven't found Stark yet." His brow furrowed in confusion, "What did he mean, oh-one-hundred-hours? They surely can't be planning to search the tower for one hundred hours?"

Jenny bit back a giggle despite herself, "It's a military term. It means one hour."

"Then we have one hour to stop them."

* * *

Jenny easily kept up with Thor despite his long strides as they quickly went from room to room on each floor. She was still jumpy around him like she was with all strangers, but at least she no longer had to crawl through vents to get past security doors. Thanks to Mjolnir.

Speaking of which... They were now five floors up from where they'd started and Thor had just taken down one of those doors. Another group of soldiers, actually agents, had mistakenly believed that reinforced steel would protect them from the wrath of a demi-god. As if. Gunfire blazed through the now ruined door and Jenny dodged while Thor simply blocked with Mjolnir. She slid into one man's personal space and hit his wrist hard, making him drop the gun before flipping him. He lay still and she moved swiftly on to the next man, cringing as Mjolnir flew past her. Her current foe took advantage of her hesitation and brought the butt of his gun up into her jaw. Jenny used the momentum from the hit to propel herself into a backflip, kicking him in the chin in the process. He hit the floor senseless just a moment after she landed in a crouch.

She looked up, but all of the so-called agents were laid out on the floor. One was still groaning and Thor strode towards him. Jenny decided to leave the interrogation to him and went about making sure that the other agents were properly tied up and relieved of all their weapons, trying her best to ignore the sounds of Thor questioning the man. Apparently Asgardian interrogation tactics were none too gentle and Jenny just knew that the sounds of pain coming from across the room would trigger her flashbacks. If not now, then definitely later.

"Hail Hydra!" came a strangled cry and Jenny's gaze whipped over to see the man start to go into convulsions. He was foaming at the mouth and that was _never_ a good sign. In fact, he was dead before she could make it across the room.

"I do not understand..."

"Suicide, Thor. Hydra was basically a cult, the followers were _obsessively_ loyal. Emphasis on _was_. I wrote a paper on them for a History class once. Captain Rogers fought and beat 'em back during World War II."

"And yet, here they are."

She nodded, just as confused as he was. But there would be time for speculation later, "C'mon, we've only got less than twenty minutes left." Jenny turned on her heel to leave. She was fully aware that the so-called Hydra soldiers that she'd just tied up might also have suicide pills on them too, but they didn't have time to check each and every man.

"Lady-"

"Mock."

"I'm sorry?"

"Mock," she answered, leaning on the doorway. "That's what they call me."

"Mock, then. I believe you need to see this."

"See what?" He didn't move towards her, but instead crouched by the dead man.

"I'm not overly found of dead bodies, Thor," she whispered, coming to stand behind him so that she could look over his shoulder.

"Neither am I." He lifted said corpse's left arm, "What does that look like to you?"

"An eagle, why?"

"It is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s symbol. Or it was."

* * *

_And kaylinthehuman guessed correctly! The prize is your very own tailor-made X-man suit! ;) (In all honesty, it would be cool to really have one of those...)_

_Please R&R._


	8. Protecting

_Marvel doesn't belong to me, just my OCs._

_Big thank you to kaylinthehuman for reviewing!_

_And thanks to Delta808th for beta reading!_

_Hurrah for the longest chapter yet in this story!_

* * *

"And S.H.I.E.L.D. is?' Jenny asked, left eyebrow raised in quesion. Her domino mask only covered the bridge of her nose and the skin around her eyes, leaving her expressive eyebrows in plain view.

Thor looked at her as if the facial expression was familiar to him, that same look that he and Stark had given her only last week. He opened his mouth as if to reply, but the sound of gunfire interrupted him.

"It seems as if they've found Stark. We must make haste, Mock." He straightened and she followed him to the doorway, almost slamming into him when he stopped.

"What's the holdup, Thor?"

"I cannot locate where the gunfire is coming from."

"Lucky for you, I can."

"Then lead the way, Mock."

She nodded and stepped past him into the hallway. As soon as she took the first steps the gunfire ceased, but a lingering echo helped her pinpoint the general location. It seemed to be coming from up the flight of stairs that were to the left at the end of the hallway. She turned back to Thor and tilted her head towards said stairs and he nodded, taking the lead. Which was just as well, he was closer to bulletproof than she was.

Jenny ran after him, keeping up easily but making sure to stay far enough back so that his bright red cape wouldn't smack her in the face. Coupled with his silver armor, he was _very_ visible. Not how she herself preferred to fight, but she'd just have to roll with it. At least he would be the first one out the door. Hopefully, the Hydra agents would focus so much attention on Thor that she could disappear into the nearest shadows.

Her hope for nearby shadows was dashed when they finally made it upstairs. Directly ahead appeared to be some sort of lab with a bulletproof glass door. Several Hydra agents were firing their assorted guns at the glass to no avail as two men hunkered down in the furthest corner.

Actually, only one man was hunkering down while the other attempted to be comforting him. The one making an attempt at comfort was definitely Stark. Jenny didn't recognize the other one, but she guessed he was some kind of mutant, judging by the green tint to his skin.

The Hydra agents, about five of them, had their backs to her and Thor. The Thunder god threw Mjolnir and it knocked the first agent down. The agent screamed in pain and the other four whipped around to face them.

Thor merely caught Mjolnir and prepared for another throw, but Jenny burst into action. She dodged this way and that, bullets whizzing past her as she got close enough to one of the men to grab his gun arm and proceeded to throw him into one of his comrades. His bulk knocked his buddy out cold, but the first man got back up. She grabbed his gun arm again, squeezing hard enough to snap his wrist. He howled in pain and she thrust her palm up into his face, breaking his nose and knocking him out.

The last two split their attention between her and Thor, but neither one of the scumbags stood a chance. Lightening arced and they both went down.

Thor took four massive strides toward the glass door and shattered it effortlessly with a single blow of his hammer.

"Geez, Hammer Time, no respect for personal property?" Stark spoke in annoyed tone but Jenny could tell by his expression that he was actually relieved to see the blond Asgardian.

Thor gave a sigh, as if used to such snide comments, but didn't dignify the shorter man with answer, "Are either of you injured?"

"We're fine, Thor," the crouching man answered, panting slightly as the green tint faded from his skin. He seemed to be focusing really hard to make it go away.

That's when it clicked for Jenny, "You're the Hulk, aren't you?"

"I think the more appropriate question is who the heck are you supposed to be, kid?" Stark asked, stepping defensively in front of the Hulk's human persona as he glared at her.

Jenny flinched at his scathing tone, scooting closer to Thor. That was exactly the kind of reaction she got from normal humans.

"Mock is a friend, Stark. There is no need for hostility," Thor spoke up diplomatically.

"Yeah, and how long have you known her? And what kind of name is 'Mock' anyway?"

"Less than an hour, but she has proven her worth by Mjolnir." Thor's tone definitely said that he wasn't going to take anyone questioning her loyalty and that was final. "I found her several floors down fighting these Hydra soldiers and Mjolnir allowed her to wield it. Only those who are worthy can lift my hammer. She has my trust."

"Trust aside, Thor, I think the real question is how she managed to get into the tower," the human Hulk spoke up softly as he stood. He turned his brown eyes to her, "Well?"

Jenny shifted uncomfortably, but didn't back down from him like she had done with Stark. "I think," her voice broke and she swallowed, trying to calm herself. "That's really not the issue. Thor and I need to make sure we got all of the Hydra soldiers before... before we..."

She broke off when Stark took a step towards her. He raised his eyebrows at her and she took another step back.

"I'm not gonna hit you kid. Sheesh. If Thor says you're trustworthy, that's good enough for me."

She cocked her head in question and he gave an exasperated sigh, followed by a well practiced eyeroll. "Computer console's right behind you, kid. If I can reboot J.A.R.V.I.S., then I'll be able to tell if you and Point Break got all of them," he explained as he pushed past her.

Jenny skittered to the side, still watching him carefully.

Thor cleared his throat, "I've already dealt with their helicopters before I found Mock. If any Hydra soldiers remain, they are no doubt heading to the ground floor. I shall head that way in case your Jarvis does not 'reboot'." Jenny nearly jumped out of her skin when he placed his large hand on her shoulder, "Mock, stay here and help Banner guard Stark."

"O-okay."

He nodded and was gone with a swish of his bright cape.

"You don't have to be scared of us. Mock, is it?"

"Yeah, kid, I don't get it. You literally went ninja on those goons but you jump sky high every time we so much as look at you. What gives?"

"I don't have good experiences with most normal people," she answered vaguely, occupying herself with tying up said goons with some loose cables she'd found in the lab before she started checking their mouths for any signs of the suicide pills. The first man she checked seemed to have a tooth that didn't match and she managed to pull it out easily, putting it to her nose to take a whiff.

"Uh, kid? What the hell are you doing?"

"Mock?"

She jerked her head back in distate and dropped the fake tooth as if it had shocked her, "Cyanide. Just as I thought." She looked back at the two conscious men, "It fits. But what doesn't make sense is the fact that Hydra's still around."

"What I don't get is why they're dressed in S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms," Banner said, having overcome his confusion enough to come her help rid the others of their suicide pills.

Stark had gone quiet, focusing his attention completely on the console before him. Jenny expected him to be a lot more chatty, but decided not to comment. She turned her attention to Banner, whispering so that only he heard, "Thor mentioned S.H.I.E.L.D. Who are they?"

Banner looked surprised, but he answered in the same quiet tone, "You've never heard of S.H.I.E.L.D.? They've never approached you?"

"What do you mean, 'approached me'?"

"They tend to do that with people they deem 'special'. By the way you fight and the fact that you referred to me and Tony as 'normal people', I would guess that you're one those. Am I right?" He didn't wait for her answer. "They like to keep tabs on people like us," he finished, a hint of bitterness to his tone.

"Oh." Jenny had a good idea that it was thanks to the late Professor that S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't heard of the X-men or vice versa. But that wasn't her secret to tell.

"What are you two whispering about over there? C'mon, Jolly Green, you know how much I hate being excluded," Stark spoke up suddenly, making Jenny jump.

Banner rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to reply, but froze when Jenny dropped into a crouch, her attention on the door she and Thor had come through.

Stark came up behind them, one of the agent's discarded pistols now in his hand. "Kid, what-?"

He was cut off when Jenny instinctually threw herself at him in an attempt to knock him out of the way.

There was the loud bang of a gun going off and Jenny flinched as pain strong enough to take her breath away laced through her side. The last thing she remembered before everything went black was an inhuman roar...

* * *

_Please review. I'd love to hear what ya'll think. And who knows? Maybe your ideas might be inspiration for later chapters..._


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